Question: Is it natural and normal to have a short foreskin? I’m 21 years old and I don’t think I’m circumcised. Is there any way to find out whether I’m cut or uncut?

It is possible to have a short foreskin.

It’s also possible to be circumcised but only have part of it removed.

Just Ask

If you’re not sure what the deal is with you penis, ask your parents! They should know.

And don’t feel bad about not knowing: in the United States, most males who are circumcised experience the procedure as infants, so it’s not like you’d remember it and, unless it was part of a religious or cultural traditional or ritual, there likely wouldn’t be any pictures in the family album from the event.

Not An Obstacle

All that said, you might ask yourself why you want to know. You might just be curious about your body, which is common and, I think, quite good to want to know more about your body and sexuality.

If, on the other hand, you’re worried that sex is better or worse for circumcised or uncircumcised men, let me reassure you that men can have pleasurable, satisfying, and pleasure-giving sexual experiences regardless of whether or not they have foreskin.

If you have foreskin, you may need to take greater care putting on a condom (such as by retracting your foreskin first and then rolling the condom on).

Risk Factors

Given recent media attention related to STI/HIV risk and circumcision status, you may also be wondering what your STI/HIV risk is.

If you have been circumcised, it’s true that you may have a somewhat lower risk of some STIs during sex with an infected partner. However, having foreskin (being uncut) doesn’t necessarily mean you will get one or more STIs—far from it!

The biggest risk factor for STI/HIV is a person’s behavior.

The best forms of protections for yourself and your partner in terms of STI/HIV risk are the following: limit the number of sexual partners you have; talk about your STI history and status; get tested; ask your partner to get tested; and use condoms for oral, vaginal, and anal sex, if you engage in those types of sex, until you know more about each other’s STI/HIV status and feel comfortable with what you’ve learned (and, if your partner is a woman, once you’ve taken other appropriate steps to manage birth control, if you’re having vaginal sex and don’t want to be parents just yet).

Debby Herbenick, PhD, MPH is a professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion (School of Public Health), and a research fellow at The Kinsey Institute. She has been writing the Kinsey Confidential Q&A since 2003. Additionally, Dr. Herbenick is an AASECT-certified sexuality educator and current president (2016-present) of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She is the author of several books about sex and love.